But there is fightback. A small, roadside Missouri brewery was sent a cease-and-desist letter in December because it was selling a beer called a Frappucino, which infringed on coffee chain Starbucks’ trademark. In response, the Exit 6 Pub and Brewery sent a snarky letter and a check for $6, which was the total profit it had earned from three sales of the beer, NPR reported.

Owner Jeff Britton said he never meant to cause confusion between the coffee chiller and his foamy brew.

“We never thought that our beer-drinking customers would have thought that the alcoholic beverage coming out of the tap would have actually been coffee from one of the many, many, many stories located a few blocks away,” he wrote.

“Exit 6 has ceased and desisted all use of the F Word and there will be absolutely no further use of the F Word in the naming of any further Exit 6 beers … we just want to help a business like Starbucks. Us small business owners need to stick together.”

Also in my home country, chocolate maker Cadbury tried to trademark the color purple, to stop rivals from using similar colored packaging. The case eventually failed but only after its sweets nemesis Nestle brought a complaint – and even then, it took five years to resolve.